Hot Rod Chocolate – The Great American Nationals

Goodguys Hershey, Take Two

Even though the Goodguys had staged the first Great American Nationals at Hershey Park the year prior, this was my first trip to the sprawling woodlands of Hershey, Pennsylvania. And what a great place it was–the entire area reminded me of upstate New York, where I spent many a summer growing up years and years ago. Small-town communities surrounded by huge trees, winding two-lane roads, and quaint little Mom ‘n’ Pop corner stores. Oh, and of course, Giant Center. Yeah, we didn’t have anything quite like that in good old Cincinnatus, but then, we never had a couple thousand hot rods, customs, and classic trucks flooding the town. Nor did we have the world-renowned Hershey Chocolate Factory–along with its museum, theme park, etc.–for tourists to flock to, either.

My initial descent into the seemingly small town of Hershey did indeed bring back great memories–until I finally came upon a huge new shopping center, complete with a Chili’s and a sushi restaurant (yep, sushi!). And once at Hershey Park, where modern times settled back in, childhood nostalgia was all but gone from the memory banks…which was fine, as there was more than enough to mentally take in with all the pre-’72 American iron displayed before my eyes. Despite impending Northeast storms, folks from far and wide came out for the Great American Nats to show off their four-wheeled pride and joy and see all the fine rides on display. Even the manufacturer’s midway was crammed full of big-name companies, from GM Performance Parts to Ford Racing & Performance, Billet Specialties to Vintage Air, Coker Tire to BFGoodrich Tires. In short, you could have left the show with pretty much everything but the kitchen sink if your wallet permitted. Come to think of it, I believe there was an old cast-iron sink for sale in the swap meet area!

The three-day event (held May 19-21) was sure an enjoyable trip. It was also the second stop for the CLASSIC TRUCKS Top Ten, which as you will see turned up a great variety of good-old pick’em-ups, from wild to mild and a little bit of in between. If you’re thinking of making this a stop on your itinerary for 2007, visit www.good-guys.com for more info (specific event listings for next year won’t be posted till late summer). In the meantime, enjoy CT’s offerings from the second Great American Nats.

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